Clean Business Investment Summit

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University & Incubator Support

CCVF has longstanding relationships with universities, start-up business incubator facilities and accelerator organizations. Universities are offering degree and certificate programs in entrepreneurship, while incubator businesses have been around since the 1950s helping to support and grow start-up businesses.

These areas are growing rapidly. Universities are teaching at many off-campus locations. Incubator projects are launching rapidly. New models in the incubation world see people, research and technology as core resources you can find almost anywhere. The goal is to establish regions as specialty centers. Silicon Valley is a classic example of an area that's been boosted by incubators over the past 30 years, as San Jose, Calif., is arguably the most incubator-packed city in the nation.

In most cases, all it takes to apply is a business plan and a need to access incubator research, funds and facilities. While both for-profit and not-for-profit incubators exist, most not-for-profit programs don't ask for much in return: future mentorship, fundraising consideration and data tracking to determine an incubator's success rates.

In recent years, for-profit business "accelerators" have launched, though they make up less than 10 percent of incubators nationwide. These firms often focus on startups that have already opened their doors, helping with VC funding, CEO search assistance and hands-on growth guidance. They often ask for a stake of a firm's sales in exchange for helping it reach a new phase of profitability. Accelerators can help move some of these companies along when there's a gap in funding between startup grants and growth-sustaining capital.

CCVF supports these efforts with mentors, panelists, business plan judges and more. If you would like to connect, contact us with your interest below:


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